By Platinum Team December 12, 2019

A Closer Look at Your Heating and Air Conditioning System and Coverages

Within this post, we’ll take a look at a typical heating and air conditioning system. What are all those parts, and what do they do? What’s covered in our home warranties, and what’s not covered?

Compressor [covered] – A mechanical device that circulates and compresses refrigerant.

Liquid Lines [covered, when accessible] – A copper pipe that transports refrigerant.

Condenser Coil [covered] – Removes heat from refrigerant after it has been pressurized and heated in the compressor.

Outdoor Thermoexpansion Valve (TXV) [covered] – Controls the amount of refrigerant flowing in the unit.

Filter Drier [covered] – Absorbs and captures contaminants and physically filters the refrigerant.

Control Board [covered] – Regulates the amount of power supplied to the parts of the A/C unit.

Capacitor [covered] – Holds then releases a boost of power to get the air conditioner running.

Disconnect [covered] – Allows power to be completely shut off from the unit.

Contactor [covered] – Used for making or breaking an electrical circuit.

Condenser Fan/Motor [covered] – Moves air across the condenser coil to cool the refrigerant which helps it turn back to a liquid from a gas state.

Furnace [covered] – The furnace is a large indoor unit that produces and delivers warm air in your home. It moves air through the ducts and vents into rooms. This unit is usually housed in the garage, attic, or closet.

Heat Exchanger [covered] – The heat exchanger is a set of tubes or coils within the airflow of a furnace that heats air.

Evaporator Coil [covered] – Within a heating system, evaporator coils converts warm air to cold or cold air to warm air. They require regular routine maintenance and cleaning. Without such maintenance, dirt and debris can cause the system to malfunction, resulting in poor cooling or heating.

Plenum [Not covered] – A box connecting to the HVAC system that helps distribute heated or cooled air through ductwork.

Heating Elements [covered] – Used in electrical heating. Air blows over the element and heat is transferred to the air and blown into the inhabitable space.

Heating Relay [covered] – Controls the voltage in a sequence.

Blower Motor [covered] – Moves the blower wheel to circulate a volume of air for heating and cooling.

Transformer [covered] – Reduces the amount of voltage to the unit.

Power Relay [covered] – Controls the voltage in a sequence.

Fuse Panel [covered] – Contains fuse that protects the low voltage. In the event of a power surge, the fuse will blow and will protect the transformer or other electrical components.

 Return-air Duct [Not covered] – Duct used for recycling air from the inhabitable space.

 Filter [Not covered] – Removes particles from the air (dust, dirt, allergens, etc).

 Blower [covered] – Attached to the blower motor and helps circulate air through the home.

What is covered under a home warranty?

Some of the main items covered include thermostats, motors, capacitors, filter dryers, fan blades, compressors, coils, boards and valves.

For complete details, be sure to look at our terms and conditions.

What isn’t covered under a home warranty?

Some of the main items not covered include registers, grills, drip pans, filters, disposal and/or recovery fees and mismatched equipment or improperly-sized equipment.

For a comprehensive look at what isn’t covered, be sure to look at our terms and conditions.

What regular maintenance is required to keep your warranty valid?

Filters need to be changed monthly. Coils need to be cleaned one to two times per year. And, all other maintenance required by the manufacturer to keep systems running at peak performance must be performed.

What are heating and cooling checkups?

To help maintain your heating and cooling system, we offer seasonal checkups. This 20-point check reviews some of the major components of the system to ensure it is up to par for the season. These are offered:

• Fall: October 1st – November 30th
• Spring: March 1st – April 30th

To schedule your appointment, call us at (602) 733-5000 during the checkup period.

If you have questions regarding coverage, please give us a call at (602) 733-5000.

And, if you’re looking to keep your heater in top shape, be sure to take a look at this related blog post: Winter Furnace Maintenance.